Students who are experiencing academic, behavioral, or social/emotional concerns, which affect academic performance, may be referred to our Problem Solving Team (PST). This regular education program is designed to assist and support students at-risk for academic, behavioral, or social/emotional failure. Staff and/or parents may refer students for this program to the administration or one of our school psychologists. Based on the student’s needs, an action plan will be developed and monitored to assist the student in achieving school success.

MTSS OverviewChanges in federal and state laws have directed schools to focus more on helping all children learn by addressing problems earlier within the general education setting. These new laws emphasize the importance of providing high quality, scientifically-based instruction and interventions, and hold schools accountable for the adequate yearly progress of all students. This new process of providing interventions to students who are at risk for academic or behavioral problems is called MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support).

What is MTSS? MTSS is a process designed to help schools focus on high quality interventions that are matched to student needs and monitored on a frequent basis. The information gained from an MTSS process is used by school personnel and parents to adapt instruction and to make decisions regarding the student’s educational program.

What Are the Benefits? Perhaps the greatest benefit of an MTSS approach is that it eliminates a “wait to fail” situation because students get help promptly within the general education setting. As soon as assessment data indicates a problem area for a student or a group of students, interventions are put into place to address these concerns.

While the interventions are taking place, school staff monitors any progress that these students are making in their problem areas. These progress monitoring techniques used within the MTSS process provide information that allows teachers to better evaluate student needs and match instruction, resources and interventions appropriately.

What is the MTSS Process? Most MTSS systems are divided into a three-tier intervention model: